"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
The Statue of Liberty.In a time where crossing the border requires extensive paper work and virtually countless hidden fees, is this quote even relevant anymore? Many illegal immigrants, particularly those from the Southern lands, have lost everything to a corrupt government, drug warfare, and general famine and disease. On that old, broken down TV set up in a dusty pueblo pub, America is portrayed to be a land full of liberty, justice, and the promise that
anyone (regardless of race, religion, and inherited status) can make a decent living there just by working hard. The exact opposite of modern Mexico. But how is one supposed to get there without any money?
When my paternal family immigrated to America from Ireland way-back-when, they were poor and homeless, yearning to breath free. America offered the opportunity of a new, brighter future. They sold all their belongings and only took the clothes on their banks, give or take a few small valuables, and boarded the ship that would transport them to the famed Ellis Island. Almost their entire life-savings was spent on the trip to New York City. After months shut in the lower cabins of the vessel, they were allowed atop the ship. Before them the Statue of Liberty glimmered in the early morning sun; she stood there, in her former glory of bronze and beauty, holding a still-glowing lamp high above her head. Although the further "welcoming" to the island was not so kind, no outlandish fees were charged. The only requirement was that they were fit and able to work. My family found jobs -- horrible factory ones, but it didn't matter. They were legal citizens because
they wanted to be. Because they wanted to contribute to society and live the American Dream.
Today, that large family would have been kicked out and sent home packing. Not because they were ill or had some horrendous criminal record, but because
they were poor. Government Fees.I'm no expert at mathematics, but legalization can cost up to $5k for just one person. Imagine a family of five! (children are, normally, not exempt.) How can one garner that many grands
without working illegally? It's not that most illegal immigrants want to avoid taxes and "steal" jobs from legal citizens, but they can't work respectable jobs that take a certain percentage of taxes from their wages. And the time frame is short; Americans want to immediately deport families without the necessary means to pay for all those fees to become a citizen. That broke young couple trying to escape a life of desolute poverty and violence will be sent back
with their innocent children to a country where there is little hope to improve one's lifestyle. And what can they do but comply, or be imprisoned or even
worse? Churches take many mission trips down to Mexico to help build homes and improve the lives of children that cannot escape their fate. What perplexes me is why these same church-goers (many of whom are my friends) then come back and deny those very poverty-stricken children the chance to live in America, where they will have a free education, clean running water and food that is not rampant with diseases.
No. I do
not support illegal immigration. It does lead to an increase of crime, over-population, and agricultural/environmental defects. But I sympathize with those who truly want to be a legal citizen but are barred by fees and blatant xenophobic racism. I want to see a change in the illegal immigration process -- strict barrier control to eliminate drug smugglers and terrorists, but also increased availability to green cards and naturalization forms and tests for those who are well-qualified (excluding their monetary value,) dedicated to work as a legal citizen and improve the lives of their children.
Pros: cultural diversity
(mmm enchiladas!)true example of the American Dream(working from nowhere to the top)
immigrants won't be "invisible"
Cons: unskilled workers
possible taxes redirected (not necessarily raised, however)
influx in population
will be more freaking difficult than shooting people
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